Critique of Capitalist Ideology in Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People

Abstract

This research work traces the resistance of the protagonist Thomas Stockmann against the capitalist dominating ideologies in Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People. Thomas Stockmann is a medical officer of the Bath Spa and he discovers that the water of the Bath is contaminated. He is unknown about the fact that the Bath is built by the capitalist impulse and run by the town authority under the control of his brother; Peter Stockmann, who is also the mayor of the town. Thomas wants to print his discovery report in the newspaper article. Newspapermen Hovstad, Aslaksen are ready to print Thomas’s report in the article, but later with the force of Peter Stockmann, they turn into self-interest and take their support back from Thomas Stockmann. He is also disturbed by Peter Stockmann and Newspapermen for his public reading of his paper in front of the town people. But the fellow citizens of the town, while accepting the truth, they are going against Thomas and charge him as enemy of the people because they manipulated by Peter’s capitalist ideology. Thomas is out from the medical officer of the Bath, but he does not hesitate to challenge town’s authority, which is running in false ideology. He persists in his mission to flash the lies and capitalist corruption by using his pen against the corrupted authority.